With the holidays over, we finally have time to stop and take a breath at the Sweet Maria’s warehouse. As I stand on the cusp of the new year assessing and strategizing, I can’t help but notice the yellow stains inside my stainless steel mug.

Espresso is fussy. It is the pursuit for perfection by a person who is driven by minutiae. This is all kind of funny since the word itself means "express," in the sense that it is prepared upon request, on a moment's notice, on express request, extemporaneously. So where do we find the balance in all of this? How can we expressly deliver the basics of this very involved brewing method? Well, what we can do is address the key variables that will have the greatest impact on your approach to honing your espresso brewing skill.